CHAPTER FIVE
Anastasia
At first, I was confident that I could still get my revenge by worming my way into his inner circle, but the closer the wedding day got, the more I realized that I couldn’t bring myself to think of a future in which Fyodor would be active in my life.
Sleeping under the same roof as him feels repulsive, and while I have been trying to go with the flow, I realized that I just can’t do this anymore. I need a way out, although getting one won’t be easy.
Leaving is the only option, and tonight, our wedding night, is the perfect time. After the reception, I can hurry to my room and wait till I can sneak away.
I reached out to Dylan to explain everything that happened, which was quite difficult, but strangely, Dylan was really supportive and told me he wouldn’t mind leaving with me.
According to him, he has an uncle who would drive me to Canada, and from there, I can leave for Europe.
I haven’t actually decided on where in Europe I’ll go, but anywhere far away from my father is good enough.
He will definitely try to find me, which is why I need to find somewhere he won’t be able to extract me that easily.
He will never see me again, and I will never have to bother about him.
Of course, that doesn't mean I have forgotten Fyodor. Me leaving isn’t the end of my revenge. No, one day, I will get my revenge on him, but for now, I need to escape this life.
Everything goes according to plan, and once it’s eight o’clock, I put on a hoodie and head downstairs.
Earlier, Fyodor told me that he would not be sleeping in this room with me, which was an admission that filled me with relief, as it meant that I wouldn’t have to worry about sneaking away from him.
Clearly, the news I shared with him about the twins seems to have caught him off guard, judging by how he has remained quiet for most of the day. I also met his sister and brother, who struck me as good people, especially Katya.
At first, things were a little awkward, mainly because I was not sure what to say to her, but then I found out that Katya is pursuing a career in media, and from there, we struck up a conversation. If things were slightly different, I would have looked forward to being friends with her.
With the hallway empty, I slip quickly into the elevator, holding tightly onto my small backpack, praying and hoping that I will not run into any of my father's men. Dylan is waiting for me in the parking lot.
“Let’s go.” I let out the breath I was holding as I reach the car.
“Are you sure you have everything?” Dylan asks me.
“Yes, I have everything I need, so let’s get moving.”
I take a look around, trying to determine if anyone has noticed my absence. Dylan starts the car immediately, and a few minutes later, we’re driving away from the hotel. Getting out of the United States means saying goodbye to my life as Anastasia Federov.
That involves giving up on the luxuries and the nice things that come with Federov’s name, which, to me, is a rather small price to pay for my freedom. I actually have a small nest egg that will keep me afloat for a long while once I find the right place to settle in.
For a week now, I have been getting things ready, and I sold off a couple pieces of jewelry and closed some of my accounts.
Making a huge financial transaction would get the attention of my father, but I did manage to get about a quarter of a million dollars squirreled away.
That will be more than enough to get me started in my new life.
One thing I find a little painful is the fact that I have to leave the people I love and care about. No one can know where I am going, as that’s the only way to ensure that my father doesn’t show up in my life again.
The ride is awfully silent as Dylan drives through several streets before we pull into an alleyway.
“My uncle is right there waiting for us.” Dylan points at the van parked ahead of us.
Something about the situation does not feel right to me, but I write it off as just anxiety.
“But why is your uncle waiting in this alleyway?” I ask Dylan.
He mumbles something I don’t catch, and the nagging feeling returns as three men exit the van and walk toward us. The first thing that comes to my mind is that my father’s men somehow figured out our plan, but then I realize that the men approaching us aren’t Caucasians, but Hispanics.
Papa would never use them for something like this.
“What did you do, Dylan?”
The softness and concern that was on his face totally vanishes, replaced by this hardness that I have never seen before. “They offered me a large amount of money when they found out that I had a relationship with you. Seeing as how you broke my heart, I decided to help them get to you.”
This has to be some sort of joke, but the men surround our car, and I can’t help but realize that I made a huge mistake in trusting Dylan.
Was he even going to help me in the first place? Or did he suggest this just to get me out here?
Several questions run through my head as I deliberate on what to do. What these men want is beyond me, but I know it most likely has to do with my father, which means they won’t hurt me.
“You’re really an asshole, Dylan.” I spit at him.
He laughs out loud as he opens the passenger door. “Please, don’t act as if you’re with me because you love me.”
Those words feel like a stab to the heart. Dwelling on Dylan’s betrayal isn’t the most important thing at the moment. No, I need to try and see if I can bargain for my freedom.
“Oh, just to be clear, the journey to Canada is for me and not you. Since I just crossed Matteo Federov, I can’t stay anywhere in this country now, can I?” Dylan adds before he turns to one of the men closest to him. “She’s all yours.”
I try to reach for the door, but a man is waiting for me. “Do you know who I am?” I ask him.
“Of course we do. Princess Anastasia Federov, Matteo’s daughter and the one who will help us get what we want,” the man who is standing back announces. He’s wearing a flannel shirt, and I can see that he has a gun tucked in his trousers.
He seems to be their leader, which means he’s the person I need to talk with if I hope to get out of this.
“I have two grand right now, and I’ll pay you well later if you help me get out of the country.”
“Oh, really?” The flannel shirt man rubs his palms together. “I guess even you want nothing to do with your father, but, sorry, we can’t take that deal.”
Heat rises deep within me, and the severity of the situation Dylan placed me in begins to sink in. Getting them on my side is the only way I might be able to escape unscathed.
“I have money; if you let me go, I’ll give it all to you.”
The men look at each other before laughing out loud and conversing in Spanish. I have no idea what they are saying, but I get that they think my offer is ridiculous. “We don’t want your money,” the man closest to me drags me out.
I try to fight him, but he places a handkerchief right over my nose and mouth. “Stay away from me,” I mumble as the chemical burns my nostrils as I try to fight for my freedom. This is a danger I intentionally walked into, all because I trusted Dylan.
As my consciousness slowly fades away, the leader of my abductors walks closer and says, “Trust me, when we are done with you, your father will know better than to mess with us.”
* * *
The first thing that comes to my attention when I open my eyes is the acrid taste at the back of my throat and this strange burning in my lungs.
A quick look around reveals that I am in some sort of warehouse.
I have no idea who abducted me, but I know for a fact that these men are determined to enact their vengeance on me.
“What do you want?” I ask the two men who are playing cards a few yards away from me.
“Your father,” one of them answers. I am not sure if he was with the original men who abducted me, but it seems like he has the answers. “We want your father to pay for all the things he has done.”
He continues to play his cards before he looks in my direction. “Can you guess the number of cousins and nephews I had to bury because of your father?”
Another man was ruined by my father. From time to time, I ran into men who would love nothing more than to bring my father to destruction.
My father is a ruthless man, and in his line of business, he has caused pain and grief to a lot of people. These men are no different, and they will go to any length to get their revenge.
“Then let me help you get your revenge!”
They both laugh out loud as if I just cracked a joke. I try to convince them that there’s no better person they can ally with to get back at my father, but they barely pay me any attention. “We can get our own revenge ourselves,” the first man tells me.
“Do you think you can use me as bait to get to my father?”
Neither of them answers me as they continue with their games.
With my hands tied to the chair, I can’t even attempt to free myself.
By now, my family will have noticed my disappearance, though they’d realize that it wasn’t a disappearance, but more of an escape since the cameras would show that I walked out on my own two feet and joined Dylan in the car.
Stupid me!
I tried escaping from tyrants without realizing that all this time, I was with a man who would betray me for money. My only concern now is if the chloroform will affect my babies. So far, I feel good, but there’s no way of knowing if something is wrong with them.
“Do you think—” I begin right before I hear the sound of what seems like gunshots.
The two men who are watching me rise to their feet as they pick up their guns. One of them speaks in Spanish, while the other curses in English.
“I think some… I think they found us.”
I raise an eyebrow, knowing that my father would never send his men out to rescue me. He is not that kind of person, especially when I made the decision to leave on my own.
Two more gunshots, and suddenly the door opens. One of the men comes to stand right beside me, pointing a gun at my head.
“We have your daughter,” he calls out into the darkness.
“I don't know who you are,” a rather familiar voice begins. “But I’d like you to know that I have traveled a long way to be here. After a stressful day and discovering that I will be a father, the last thing I want is to cause anybody grievance. That is my wife, and I am here to get her without causing anyone harm.”
I'm not sure these men are willing to let me go that easily. Fyodor steps out from the darkness, and he lifts up his hands, which are quite empty.
“All I’m offering is that you let her go and we pretend like this never happened.”
Both of my captors laugh out loud as if Fyodor cracked some joke, and while he seems harmless, something about Fyodor’s confidence makes me think that he’s deadly. Maybe even deadlier than my father.
“Oh, yeah, there are two of us, and there is only one of you. What do you think will happen if we decide to shoot you?”
As those words basely leave his mouth, a loud gunshot rings out, and the man holding the gun right next to me drops to the floor.
“Now do you think I am serious?” Fyodor asks in a cold voice as he looks at the other man, who has his gun pointing at Fyodor. “If you don’t shoot, you might walk out of this alive.”
Realizing he’s on the losing side, he obeys without any resistance, putting his gun down as he lies on the ground. Two of Fyodor’s men enter the room, and I wonder how many more are right outside.
“Are you all right?” Fyodor asks softly.
Maybe as a result of being overwhelmed, I burst into tears as Fyodor pulls me slowly into his embrace.
“You’re all right, darling. Like I promised you, nothing will happen to you or our children.”